ROBBY : Robotic palletizing and manipulation systems

The Robby system is a comprehensive approach developed by Sipa to meet the increasing market demand for packaging flexibility and efficiency for a wide range of containers and packaging. In particular, it offers an extremely viable alternative to traditional palletizing and depalletizing systems.By integrating an anthropomorphous robotic arm with the other components required, Sipa can create equipment and systems for palletizing/depalletizing and handling packages, crates, cartons, packs, bottles, cans, pallets and interlayer pads.

MODELS:

Robby PAL: this range includes all the possible containers moving solutions, from the most simple to the hardest one where more robots interact simultaneously.

Robby RACK: specific solution to palletise large size containers on rack or pallet.

Main features and advantages

In addition to its experience in creating the right system configuration and managing installation electronics, Sipa’s breakthrough lies in the design and realization of a gripper head for each product type and all movement modes.Its long-time experience in robotized manipulation has allowed Sipa to create a wide range of heads:

halving platform

pliers-type

jaw-head and hook

permanent magnet with release

vacuum head

inflatable pipes

cap-type for lipped and lipless bottles

suction cup

These are multifunction heads designed to handle not only the product but also other related elements such as empty pallets, plastic or cardboard interlayer pads, display trays, etc.Its broad range of traditional palletizing equipment allowed Sipa to realize the full potential of solutions for product feed and layer preparation in order to meet any positioning need in any operational setting. Fully automatic gripping head change-over is available on option, and new palletizing patterns can be simply programmed directly in the operator control panel.Thanks to their flexibility robotic solutions perfectly adapt to special operations such us display palletising, bottle transferring, on pallet configuration modification, empty pallet control device, etc.

An extremely complete solution to handle different types of containers and products. Thanks to its versatility and reliability, it is one of the most widely-used on medium- and high-speed bottling lines.This configuration can use the following head types:

halving platform for packs and cartons

jaws and hooks for plastic crates with and without windows

magnet with release for tin containers or those with metal lids

vacuum head for uniform, stable packs (e.g., packs of cans)

When required (for speed reasons, type of product, etc.) the Fastlayer robotic layer preparation with active pack orientation can be included. Robby Pal layer handling applications are extremely flexible and can be designed to palletize a range of pallet sizes as well as half- and quarter-pallets.

This type of pick-up is suitable for low- and medium-speed lines, but also to handle special shape or large containers.The size and shape of the grippers have been designed on the basis of the type of container or package to be handled.On this type of equipment, accessory devices can be integrated into the product gripper head (for example, interlayer or empty pallet grippers) which greatly reduces the amount of required space.In traditional palletizing systems, this equipment is normally separate and occupies a significant amount of space.

This configuration is used to palletize both filled and empty loose containers in glass or PET:

cap-type for lipped and lipless bottles

row pliers-type

inflatable pipe

vacuum head

If required by the application, self-adjusting heads can also be provided to handle special products or products in various sizes.

For this type of application, the row infeed and preparation area is extremely important because often the equipment handles products that are especially unstable or delicate.

Palletization may be carried out directly on the pallet, or cardboard or plastic display tray.

These applications can be integrated into MULTIHEAD solution—a single palletization island that can handle a variety of products utilizing two different layer prep zones and two different head types, one for packs and the other for loose bottles. The robotic arm is positioned in the center and, thanks to a rapid head change system, can comfortably work with the current layer prep to palletize the type of selected product.

This application is particularly suitable for handling 3- and 5-gallon bottles.Sipa first presented this configuration in 2000 and since then has acquired significant experience in handling a range of 5 gallon bottle types, including round, triangular and rectangular.Numerous types of racks have also been utilized in both metal and plastic, and palletization on pallets completes the configuration options for this type of application.

Its 6-axis robotic configuration is especially good for complex movements, making it extremely suitable for handling “special” containers and packages, including large-sized ones such as canisters, drums, kegs, etc.Again here the heart of the application is its head designed for optimum gripping during the entire handling process, without damaging the container in any way.Depending on the installation speed, multiple heads can also be mounted in order to handle a number of containers simultaneously (from 1 to 10 during racking of full 5 gallon bottles) with the choice of robot model based on the weight to be handled.A modular gripping system has been designed to provide for interchangeability of the grippers as the installation evolves over time.For these operations, movement precision, reliability and consistency are fundamental, but there are also safety measures against unforeseen problems, such as damaged or defective racks. In these situations, the internal safety program stops the machine before the installation is damaged.Robby Rack may be used for either depalletizing or palletizing lines, as well as in combined cycles to simultaneously empty and fill the rack.If required by the application, self-adjusting grippers to handle special racks or ones of different size can also be supplied.